A TOP of $2700 and an overall average of $1217 for the 94 rams sold at auction were pleasing results for Far Valley Dohne stud principal David Kain following the stud's 15th annual on-property sale at Arthur River last week.
The sale was conducted by Elders with Preston Clarke again handling the auctioneering duties with Mr Clarke commenting it was an excellent presentation of rams backed by excellent Australian Dohne Breeders Association Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) and many of the rams on offer were by some of the country's leading sires.
Also pleasing for Mr Kain and family was that 20 potential buyers registered for the sale and they all went home having purchased from the catalogue.
It was one of the very recent clients to the stud who paid the top price of the day of $2700 for one of six rams purchased.
Boyup Brook producer Richard Creek, Creek Farms, attended the sale last year for the first time taking home four rams up to $1700 and, pleased with the results of those rams, was back again this year.
Mr Creek said the Dohne is well suited to the higher rainfall around Boyup Brook and has decided to upgrade joining all his 700 Merino ewe flock to Dohne rams.
Mr Creek's $2700 purchase has early September 2016 EBVs of 5.3 WWT, 6.4 PWWT, 7.5 YWT, 1.8 YEMD, 6 YCFW, 0.5 YFD, -1.1 YFDCV and a 159.6 Dohne Index.
Mr Creek said he was most impressed with the figures on his top ram and the overall presentation saying they were all very well-grown rams with sappy wools and good figures generally.
Another client back again and more than doubling the number he purchased last year was Bernie Hale, Wheatfield Pastoral Co, Kojonup, who bought 24 head this year.
Mr Hale said he was also pleased with the Dohne influence and this year will join some 4500 ewes ranging from F1 to F4, holding on to all ewe progeny while selling off the wethers as prime lambs.
Mr Hale uses Dohne assessor Murray Drage to class his breeding flock and advise on ram purchases.
The second highest price on the day was $2500 and was this paid by two of the stud's clients.
First to go to this figure were Dave and Jane Walker, Cooper Walker Farms, Bencubbin, who were first time buyers to Far Valley last year.
They loaded up seven head this year which they will be joined to their flock of about 1200 Merino and F2 Dohne flock and were again happy with the overall quality of the Far Valley rams.
The others to bid to $2500 along with purchasing two others at $2300 and $1800 were Graham and Pat Riseborough, GJ & PI Riseborough, who run a small elite Dohne flock on their Chittering property and have been using Far Valley genetics for more than 20 years and are delighted with the results.
Also over from Boyup Brook were Steve and Matthew Thompson, Tasman Farm. They are also long-term clients of Far Valley and have been buying rams for 13 years.
They join about 2000 mainly purebred ewes to Dohnes along with another 1000 to prime lamb sires.
Steve Thompson was full of praise for the good quality wools which are most suitable to the higher rainfall areas.
Others from the sale also heading west are four bought by Elders Waroona representative Michael Longford on behalf of long-term client Allan Black, RA Black & Son, Coolup, while another four were bought by Greg Ricetti, Ricetti Bros, Bowelling.
Much closer to home, regular clients Bernie and Nick Panizza, HA & SA Panizza & Co, Arthur River, purchased eight rams up to $1900 and near neighbours Sam and Victoria Burgess, Burgess Ag Contracting, went home with six.
Commenting after the sale Mr Kain said he was extremely happy with the overall result and the support from regular and more recent buyers to the stud.
He was particularly pleased with how the rams presented themselves given the hard seasonal conditions of late last year and the amount of rain sustained in recent months.
"It's and indication of the Dohne's ability to handle harsh and then very wet conditions" he said.
